MARVEL COMICS: World of Conan (1984 Conan the Destroyer)
WORLD OF CONAN IN THE MEDIA MARVEL COMICS IN THE MEDIA DYNAMITE COMICS IN THE MEDIA Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 American sword and sorcery/adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mako Iwamatsu reprising their roles as Conan and Akiro the wizard, respectively. The cast also includes Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain, Tracey Walter and Olivia d'Abo. It is the sequel to Conan the Barbarian. The film was moderately successful at the box office in the U.S., and very successful internationally, although critical response was not as strong as for the original film. TRAILER PLOT While praying at an altar with his traveling companion and fellow thief Malak (Tracey Walter), Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is confronted by Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas) of Shadizar, who tests the pair in combat with several of her guards. She tells him that she has a quest for him, but he initially refuses her. The Queen uses her power to learn his greatest desire, and promises to resurrect Conan's beloved Valeria. Conan agrees to the quest. The Queen states that her niece, Jehnna (Olivia d'Abo), is destined to find a special jewel that can be used to obtain an artifact that will awaken the dreaming god, Dagoth. She tasks Conan and Malak to protect Jehnna on this journey, to be accompanied by the captain of the Queen's guard, Bombaata (Wilt Chamberlain). Secretly, the Queen has instructed Bombaata to kill Conan once the task is complete so they can sacrifice Jehnna to the god. Because the gem is secured in the fortress of a powerful wizard, Conan seeks the help of his friend, the wizard Akiro (Mako). Akiro must first be rescued from a tribe of cannibals who plan to eat him to absorb his magic. Afterwards they meet Zula (Grace Jones), a powerful warrior and bandit, whom Jehnna and Conan rescue from vengeful villagers; considering herself indebted to Conan for saving her life, she offers to join their quest. They reach the wizard Toth-Amon's (Pat Roach) icy castle upon a lake, and make camp for the night. While they sleep, the wizard transforms into a bird of smoke and kidnaps Jehnna. The company assault the castle and Conan is able to defeat the wizard, but in doing so he disrupts the magic binding the castle together forcing their hasty retreat. With the jewel now in hand they travel to the place where the horn is hidden. Jehnna expresses romantic interest in Conan, but he drunkenly rebuffs her and declares his devotion to Valeria. They reach an ancient temple, and Jehnna uses the power of the jewel to find and obtain the horn. Guardians of the horn overwhelm the group, but they manage to find a secret exit passage. Bombaata blocks their exit and seizes Jehnna. The others escape his deathtrap and make their way back to Shadizar. There, they use a secret route known to Malak (through his "Cousin's sister's brother", basically his first cousin) to reach the throne room and confront Bombaata. Conan kills him in combat. Meanwhile, Jehnna has been drugged and prepared for the sacrifice. The horn is placed upon the head of the Dagoth statue. Upon its first signs of life, they attempt to sacrifice Jehnna, but Zula intervenes and kills the Grand Vizier (Jeff Corey) first. Having received an improper sacrifice, the statue becomes angry and begins to twist and distort into the demonic version of Dagoth (André the Giant) as Akiro had feared. Queen Taramis is killed and Conan battles the Dagoth, eventually killing it by removing the horn from its head. After the battle, the newly crowned Queen Jehnna offers each of her companions a place in her new court. Zula becomes the new captain of the guard replacing the recently deceased Bombatta, because Jehnna does not see any reason why a woman cannot do as good a job as any man. Akiro becomes her new wiseman and advisor, and Malak's buffoonery qualifies him for the position of court jester. She offers Conan her hand and the opportunity to rule the kingdom together, but he declines, having been promised a kingdom already. He departs on his own for further adventures and to find his own place in the world. WHO'S WHO: TBA Category:Comic Books in the Media Category:Comic Book Movies Category:World of Conan Category:Marvel Comics Category:Dynamite Comics Category:Conan the Destroyer Category:Conan the Barbarian